Illustrator Joni Belaruski is currently based in London, England, where she creates dark cartoons and fantasy imagery influenced by punk rock and dreams. Joni brings a sense of spontaneity and playfulness to each of her works.

I love looking through Joni’s online portfolio and seeing all her illustrations together. With numerous images featuring animals and fantasy creatures like unicorns, it’s easy to see where the inspiration via dreams and nightmares fits in. As we looked at in our last feature of Joni’s work, these could be described as a kind of raw fantasy – the works manage a certain grittiness while still maintaining that fun, playful overarching tone.

Most of Joni’s works come in the form of dark ink drawings on white, negative backgrounds. The splashy aesthetics give them the look of marginalia or rough sketches in notebooks. When Joni does use color, she does so very sparingly, making it all the more effective when it does appear.

About the author

Dallas Jeffs is the Editor of Artist Run Website's blog. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied Critical and Cultural Practices. She is passionate about talking and writing about art, and sharing that interest with others. In her studio practice she is a painter, but she considers herself an art writer and educator foremost. If you like art, books and culture with a science fiction twist, check out Dallas' personal blog, HappySpaceNoises